The Dual Impact of Virtual Reality: Examining the Addictive Potential and Therapeutic Applications of Immersive Media in the Metaverse

The emergence of the metaverse - envisioned as a hyperreal virtual universe enabling boundless human interaction - has the potential to revolutionize our conception of media. This transformation could alter society as we know it. This paper identifies addictive features of social media, including immersion, interactivity, real-time access, and personalization. These features are examined within the context of virtual reality through a literature review and content analysis, aimed at exploring the potential consequences of metaverse development. From an initial pool of 193,218 documents, a refined selection of N = 44 relevant papers formed the basis of our qualitative analysis. About half of the analyzed papers indicate that these features contribute to VR addiction. Interestingly, the same features that contribute to addictive behaviors can also be harnessed for positive therapeutic interventions of VR, particularly in treating addictions and managing mental health conditions. This duality, observed in the other half of the papers, emphasizes the complex role of VR technologies, suggesting that they can serve as a substitute for other addictions. This phenomenon is placed into the historical context of evolving media technologies that increasingly mimic reality. The complex interplay of factors contributing to addiction necessitates the development of algorithmic solutions that actively curate diverse offerings, rather than promoting a closed loop of like-minded views. Traditional models of addiction should be adapted to address these unique challenges. Finally, the discussion turned to the implications of these findings for a society where the metaverse is widely accepted as a mainstream technology.